Gramercy Gatekeeper: Hordes May Invade!

What do you do when your private, exclusive park is repeatedly found with its gate wide open? You freak out.

"The terrible threat,” a Gramercy Park trustee told the New York Times, “is that with the gate wide open, hordes of people may come in.”

And who do you blame for the security breach? The transient newcomers, of course, VIP credentials be damned. Word on the block is that careless and/or ignorant guests at Ian Schrager's Gramercy Park Hotel, which opened in August, have proved themselves a bit middling and ill-bred when it comes to preserving the park for the better sort.

If the hotel's six frisbee-sized silver keychains with gold tassels didn't convey the importance of discretion, we don't know what would. However, the hotel has begun a new approach as of last week: An attache will escort guests to the park, close and lock the gate behind them, and give them a key so they can let themselves out. If the gate should continue to stand ajar, will the park resort to posting intimidating signage to exclude the uninitiated?

Back in 2004, Gramercy Park changed its key rental and replacement fees.

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By Gideon Fink Shapiro in Arts and Events on November 20, 2006 10:44 AM

Comments [rss]

Bob Salzman

Grammercy Park is what Central Park would have been if todays NYC real estate developers and their City Hall buddies had been designing things instead of Olmstead.

Adam

This was one of about five articles in the Sunday Times that really disturbed me. "Hordes of people"? What a fucking bitch, that woman in the article- when will she wake up to reality? Maybe she's scared that those "merely rich" will invade the park next- http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/19/weekinreview/19konigsberg.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

evren

it's just so wrong to keep this park to themselves. i guess they should enjoy it now coz they'll be living in hell after life.

Not Amused

Snoody bitches and there "Exclusive" Greenery ! I do agree that if the park is indeed private, Then it should be locked down ! Sadly

uhhhrrrr

Everytime I was in that area I used to just walk through Gramercy Park ... up until now I had no idea the gates were supposed to be locked! It looks like a less crowded version of Madison Square Park anyway ... no shake shack!@ URHh hSHAKE SHACK FGIVE Me THOSE SHAKeS NAD BURGRERS !!

Whine Whine Whine

It's about time we abolished this ridiculous place anyway. Open the gates!

Hotel Chelsea Blogger

Why does this place exist anyway? Every time I go by there I hardly see a soul inside, and even on it’s busiest days there’s rarely more than a handful of people using it. They claim that it’s private property, but the land is actually owned in common by the people lucky enough to live nearby and have a key.

charshiu

time for eminent domain action!!!!

Brightliner

I don't understand this "land needs to be open to all" attitude. If, in fact, the park is maintained by private funds with no involvement from the city, then it is private space, period. Just like your living room is private space. If you wouldn't want strangers using your living room, does that mean you "don't belong in New York"?

so there

Can anyone clarify who actually owns the land and pays for the upkeep? Am I to assume the landlords for the surrounding properties (that include park keys) actually foor the bill for park maintenance, passing the cost onto the tenants?

janelle

i personally don't see the problem with the park continuing to remain private if it's funded privately. i, too, would be bothered if drunken hotel guests were leaving my park unlocked. private property is private property, i suppose. ownership has its privileges...

bob

ugh, these gramercy people are horrible.

Peter

It's tempting to conclude that the keyholders are hopelessly snobbish for wanting to exclude us (ick!) Common People from their park, but to the extent the prices for their residences include premiums representing their rights to exclusive park access, they have a point.